Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiela Butler.
Tiela, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up with a contractor for a mother and being an only child, I didn’t really have the opportunity to have life long friends that I grew up with. So I turned to the internet/social media. When I first started out on Instagram as “@tielatequilla”, I was just like every other person on the app, someone who just wanted their photos shared with the world. But, at the same time, I did want to have quite the number of followers. So I began to do “shoutout for shoutouts” posts, the “like three pictures and comment when done” posts, and just all the things I could do to get my follower count up (without buying followers). Once I reached about 10 thousand followers, I changed my alias to “@yvng.thvgga” and from there, that’s where the clothing brands started to roll in. In the beginning, it started with me actually buying clothing from brands rather than them give it to me for free, I just wanted the exposure. As I began to do it more consistently, other brands began to notice me and they would message me and ask if I posted a photo in their product then I could have it for free.
To me, this was a win-win opportunity of a lifetime. As this was going on, since some of the clothing I was getting supported the black community, other Instagram pages started to post me on their page to where I was able to accumulate quite a bit of follower from that without even doing anything myself. In 2015, I changed my name for the last time which was and is currently “@bootygawddess”! And I know you’re probably wondering, “where did the name come from?”. To be completely honest with you, I got the name from my own perception of myself, I felt as though I looked like a goddess but not just any goddess, with the addition of a nice asset I was able to get from my parents (the booty), it gives a statement of like an “OH GAWD” to where I’m a gawddess, the bootygawddess. Once people started to get more acquainted with the name, what was once a free collaboration, I could now set my own price and brand myself. I’m still in the midst of trying to figure this all out, but my goal is to model professionally.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been a smooth sailing process into becoming an influencer. I feel like when a lot of people think of an Instagram influencer, they think it only consists of us getting free things to just post pictures and look good in, that we just get a lot of income, or that it’s not even a real profession begin with. And that is a far fetch from what it actually is. Now don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, it truly stimulates me, but it definitely doesn’t pay my bills… well at least not yet. Getting brands to want to collaborate or partnership with you isn’t easy as well. For instance last year, I started working with fashionnova, and many people thought that they had contacted me or that I was getting paid for any of it, where the truth is, I emailed them myself and it was all for free. There’s certain brands out there that don’t want any influencers under 100k and my little ole self only has about 50k so even if I reach out, chances of me getting a reply are very slim. Then I have my parents, who support what I’m doing, but at the same time, since it hasn’t formed into a career or steady source of income, they don’t take it seriously and just think it’s a hobby. The fact that I’m only 5’0 ft too also plays a big factor into why I haven’t been applying to modeling agencies like I would really like to, due to the fact so far all of the agencies want a model that’s at least 5’6. Hopefully, that changes in the future.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an Instagram Influencer/Promoter. I specialize in showcasing other peoples’ brands, products, talents, and many more. I’m mostly known for my different hairstyles and the clothing that I wear. I’m most proud of myself in every way because I put in 100% effort in anything that I do and I take my profession very seriously. What I think sets me apart from others, is my personality and just my genuine strive to want to be model that I know I will be.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment would probably have to be in 2017, when I did a photoshoot with one my good friends James (@_semaj3 on Instagram) and I was wearing a pair of the Adidas originals and once I had posted it on my Twitter, Adidas replied to the tweet with, “Beautiful colors, beautiful shots, nice sneakers too. Keep creating”. I was shook.
Pricing:
- $10 for Instagram shout outs on my story. $20 for a video/music video promo on story
- $75 with a $25 deposit for 3 posts of me in your merchandise or to promote your product
- for hair promotions/collaborations I typically do those for free
Contact Info:
- Email: tielatoffee@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bootygawddess/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bootygawddess
- Other: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bootygawddess
Image Credit:
Chino Angles (@chinoangles), Kimon Horne (@_kimon), Emma Cote (@coteandcamera)
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
